Arkansas SB 163 will receive a vote on the House floor on Wednesday, February 13. This is the bill that increases the petition requirement for newly-qualifying parties from 10,000 signatures to 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, which would be approximately 27,000 signatures.
On February 8, U.S. District Court Judge J. Michele Childs, an Obama appointee, dismissed the lawsuit Heindel v Andino, 3:18cv-1887. The case challenged South Carolina’s use of iVotronic vote-counting machines. The plaintiffs argued that the system is unreliable and would permit the vote tally to be hacked. But Judge Childs said that the plaintiffs lack standing, because they just have a generalized grievance and they did not show that they have been injured in particular. Here is the opinion.
According to news reports, Arkansas State Senator Trent Garner will amend his SB 276 today, so that the new primary date for all Arkansas primaries
(presidential and other office) would be March, not February. The bill has a hearing on Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the State Senate Committee on State Agencies and Government Affairs. It will probably pass because the Republican Party favors the bill. Currently the primaries are in May.
On February 11, U.S. District Court Judge Edmund Sargus, a Clinton appointee, issued an opinion in Schmitt v Husted, s.d., 2:18cv-966. The issue is whether it violates the U.S. Constitution for Ohio county and city election officials to decide on their own whether to reject an initiative petition, based on the content of the proposed initiative. A local initiative adjusting the penalties for marijuana possession in a particular town was rejected by the local elections board, because the local elections board felt the initiative, if passed, would be invalid. The decision says it violates due process for local non-judicial officials to make decisions like this.
On February 8, a bill to greatly reduce ballot access barriers was introduced in the Georgia House. It is HB 191. The sponsors are three Democrats and one Republican: Dar’shun Kendrick (D-Lithonia), David Stover (R-Newnan), Vernon Jones (D-Lithonia), and Valencia Stovall (D-Forest Park).
The bill says that if a party is ballot-qualified for statewide office, then it is automatically qualified for all partisan office. And it lowers the number of signatures for independent candidates and the nominees of unqualified parties. Currently the presidential petition is 7,500; the other staewide offices are 1% of the registered voters (over 50,000); and the district and county offices are 5% of the registered voters. The bill replaces all those with 200 signatures. Thanks to Garland Favorito for this news.
